Atlantic
City Cab Driver Collects $18,550 "Fare,"
Wins Sands Omaha High-Low Event
Chris
Reslock was driving a cab up until six
years ago. Then one day, he parked his
taxi in a casino parking garage and started
playing poker to earn a living. Reslock
decided to take a chance. He made an investment
in himself. Reslock vowed that he could
always go back to the garage and get the
cab, return to the streets, and start
making a living by driving again -- if
he went broke. Now, after winning nearly
$20,000 in the "Showdown at the Sands"
Omaha High-Low event, it appears Reslock
won't have to worry about hustling for
fares for a while. In fact, if anyone
is interested in a 1992 Chevrolet Caprice
with a dead battery and 230,000 miles
on it, please contact Mr. Reslock immediately.
After
the first 97 players in a 106-player field
were eliminated, the final table began
with nine Omaha High-Low masters. Blinds
started at $2,000-$3,000 and betting limits
were $3,000-$6,000.
Jerry
Atkins was the first player to be eliminated.
He was scooped and went out in ninth place,
good for a $1,325 payoff.
Ten
minutes later, Hustler Casino executive,
Jim Miller flopped a set of Aces and looked
to be in an excellent position to double-up.
Unfortunately for Miller, the set of Aces
was cracked when Ron Faltinsky made runner-runner
straight and scooped the large pot. Miller,
who finished second in an event at this
year's World Series of Poker, added $1,590
to his poker bankroll.
Michael
James Nuzzi came in very low on chips,
with only $16K. He made his final stand
of the night with 2-3-J-Q, which was topped
for both the high and low by chip-leader
Chris Reslock's A-7-K-K when the final
board showed 4-6-7-6-3. Nuzzi, a Vietnam
Vet who lives in nearby Philadelphia,
collected $1,855 for seventh place.
Kelly
Voci was making her second final table
appearance at this year's Sands tournament.
Voci, who placed 9th in yesterday's Limit
Hold'em event, ended up as the sixth place
finisher when she was dealt A-3-4-9 versus
Michael Cimino's A-2-5-9. The final board
showed 2-2-5-5-J, giving Cimino trip 5s
(no low). Voci added $2,385 to her tournament
winnings.
An
hour elapsed before the next player was
eliminated. During that hour, Chris DeBock
saw his ship stack dwindle slowly. Many
of DeBrock’s hands, which initially
looked appealing, were counterfeited and
he watched in disappointment as his final
hand of the night unfolded. Dealt A-2-3-10,
DeBock was down to an inside-straight
draw when the flop came K-Q-9. When a
7 and 9 fell on the turn and river respectively,
DeBock had missed everything as Chris
Reslock's A-2-7-8 was good for a pair
of sevens. DeBock, who won an Omaha High-Low
event at the Four Queens Poker Classic
a few years ago, took home $2,915 for
fifth place.
Californian
Robert Faltinsky held on all day with
a small number of chips. He made his final
stand with A-8-10-K, but lost to Michael
Cimino's 2-4-5-9 when the board showed
A-J-6-8-2. Faltinsky took $3,710 for fourth
place.
James
Van Alstyne lost two big pots in a row
and was the next player to be eliminated.
First, he lost a key hand to Chris Reslock,
then moments later went out when he was
dealt K-K-10-3. Once again, Reslock dealt
a stinging blow as his Q-Q-x-x matched
a queen on board, giving him three queens
versus Van Alstyne's overpair. Van Alstyne
had some hope on the turn when the board
showed J-10-3-Q, since any Ace or Nine
would give him a straight. But a blank
fell and put Van Alstyne on the rail with
third-place prize money of $4,770.
Reslock
took a formidable 9-1 chip lead into heads-up
play. The showdown between the final two
players pitted an Atlantic City poker
dealer against one of the city's most
recognizable faces. In fact, Taj Mahal
dealer had dealt to Reslock many times,
and the two players had faced on in live-action
games frequently. Now, it was time for
the showdown.
Michael
Cimino's attempt to turn the tables on
Reslock proved unsuccessful. Although
he managed to survive a whopping ten all-ins
during his three-hour stay at the final
table, Cimino could not overcome the insurmountable
chip disadvantage. Cimino put in a raise
with his final chips when he was dealt
10-9-5-3 and saw the flop come 9-4-2.
Cimino had a low draw along with a pair
and a straight draw -- certainly a decent
hand in heads-up play. However, Reslock
caught two perfect cards when a 10 and
Jack fell on the turn and river. Reslock
smiled, rolled over A-8-K-Q, and had won
the tournament with the nut-high straight.
Cimino
must be proud of his play the past two
days. Just 24 hours after winning the
Limit Hold'em event the previous day,
Cimino almost pulled off a parlay that
would have made him a back-to-back champion.
Still, he collected $9,540 for second
place.
This
was a day where just about everything
went right for Chris Reslock. The local
pro came into the finale with the chip
lead and was never in serious danger of
elimination.
When
asked about going back to driving a taxi,
Reslock didn't express much enthusiasm.
In fact, now six years after leaving the
cab locked inside a local parking garage,
Reslock now admits that he forgot where
exactly he parked the car. Odds are, Reslock
might stick with playing poker for at
least a while longer.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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